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Saturday, June 1, 2013

Life's a Beach

Where have I been lately?  Well, I think this picture will say it all.....


With the long holiday last weekend, Jim and I have made the very most of the perfect sunny weather and warming waters.  In 4 days, we did beaches on both coastlines, including the Canaveral National Seashore and Don Pedro Island State Park.  Jim took this beautiful shot along the boardwalk over the dunes at Smyrna Dunes Park , just north of Canaveral.   By the time Tuesday rolled around and it was back to reality, I felt like returning to work would at least give me a chance to rest! 

Some tokens from all the adventures....


But it hasn't all just been frolicking on the beach.  While gathering my thoughts for the last portion of work on Aoche, I decided to put my nose to the grindstone and return to Ann Grimshaw....at least for a motif or two.  She's starting to flesh herself out a bit!


However, the hike across the dunes stirred up some other stitching thoughts.  That low, scrubby plant growing as covering on the sand is full of the tiniest yellow blossoms.  They're beautiful, but wiry and tough, well suited for life on the beach. It made me think of my barely started "Once Upon an Island" sampler....remember this?


As luck would have it, I laid my hands on the chart for it not long ago, which put one obstacle toward finishing it out of the way.  And with the chart safely located, I realized I hadn't put so much work in already that starting over.....with a different palette of beachy shades....would be out of the question.  I'm thinking those border blossoms really do need to be the same orangy yellow as the ones on the dunes!  And to make it all perfect, my box of Needle Necessities rendered up two of the most amazing skeins of beach blues and greens....perfect!  All this is just free associating in my head right now, and definitely won't get underway until Atoche is done.  But I love the excitement of it and the idea of putting my own twist on a design that's been in the works for far too long.  I'll post a picture of the design and my chosen thread palette as soon as Atoche is complete.

I'm so proud of my Mom!!


She won first prize in her division at the American Quilting Society's big show in Paducah this spring.  But what I'm most proud of is that she did it after losing my Dad in December and adjusting to a new life in the depths of a dark and lonely Illinois winter.  Those tough little beach blossoms remind me of her as well.  I love you Mom! You've shown us all the beauty in being strong.

OK, so I think that brings me up to speed.  As always, thanks for stopping by to visit and here's hoping that whatever you're working on, you're having fun with it!

8 comments:

marly said...

Your stitching projects are all very nice but your mom's quilt stole the post!! Magnificent! Congratulations to her.

Lynn said...

Congrats to your mom. Her quilt is stunning!! Both your stitching projects look fabulous too. I'm anxious to see the remake of Once Upon an Island with your new palette.

Catherine said...

Your holiday sounds fun ~ such pretty shells! Beautiful stitches and wow, congrats to your mom ~ that's a beautiful quilt!!

Penny said...

Your trip sounds wonderful! You sure found some pretty shells too! Ann Grimshaw is looking pretty and your mother's quilt is magnificent! Congratulations to her!! :)

Margaret said...

Ok, first of all. Wow!!!!! Your mom made that quilt? WOW! That is an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations to her! You should definitely be proud of her, and good for her too. What a brave woman. I love your stitching. I like that Once Upon an Island Sampler. Sounds like you had a nice trip too!

Carol said...

Looks like you've had the best of both worlds lately, Mary--travel and stitching! The shells are so pretty--it seems harder and harder to find such nice shells these days. You must know the best places to look. Lovely progress on your stitching, too.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your mom's quilt--just stunning. How wonderful that her handwork was able to help her through the loss of your dad--she sounds like a special woman indeed!

Samplings from Spring Creek said...

Your Mother's quilt is amazing! Congratulations to her! Beach trips are always refreshing

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Oh Mary, everything is so pretty. I love how you found inspiration on your walk. I find inspiration in unexpected places too. Your mom's quilt is amazing. There's nothing like a needle in hand to keep your mind off of things that trouble you. Great job!